MLB News

Winker among top prospects in Minors on Monday

Reds' No. 2 prospect goes 3-for-4, hits first home run since April 23 for Blue Wahoos

By
Alex M. SmithMLB.com

The drought is finally over for Jesse Winker.

Cincinnati's No. 2 prospect (No. 22 overall) launched an opposite field home run for Double-A Pensacola on Monday, his first time leaving the yard since April 23. The solo shot couldn't help the Blue Wahoos take down Jacksonville, but Winker's homer provided plenty of reason for optimism in a 6-4 loss.

The drought is finally over for Jesse Winker.

Cincinnati's No. 2 prospect (No. 22 overall) launched an opposite field home run for Double-A Pensacola on Monday, his first time leaving the yard since April 23. The solo shot couldn't help the Blue Wahoos take down Jacksonville, but Winker's homer provided plenty of reason for optimism in a 6-4 loss.

The outfielder went 3-for-4 on Monday and has hit in 11 of his past 13 contests. His season line (.253/.351/.374) is the best its been all year and Winker has three homers along with 15 RBIs in 2015.

A former Compensation pick for the Reds, the 21-year-old has hit 39 homers and recorded 183 RBIs in 297 Minor League games.

More standout performances from Top 100 prospects on Monday

• Astros No. 3 prospect (No. 61 overall) Domingo Santana continues to show off his power at Triple-A Fresno. The outfielder hit a two-run homer against Reno, his fourth straight contest with at least one RBI. The recent surge came after 10 straight games without a run batted in. Santana has 11 homers and 31 RBIs on the season.

• Brewers No. 1 prospect (No. 76 overall) Orlando Arcia is on a tear for Double-A Biloxi. The shortstop went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer on Monday, pushing his hitting streak to five games and bringing his season line to .329/.379/.476 with four dingers and 29 RBIs. The 20-year-old's average has not been below .300 all season.

Other notable performances from around the Minor Leagues

• Angels No. 12 prospect Alex Yarbrough and No. 29 prospect Jett Bandy combined to help Triple-A Salt Lake take down Albuquerque, 10-7. Yarbrough went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his first of the season. Bandy went 1-for-4 with a solo shot, his sixth of the year. Bandy has shown much more power last year and this year compared to his first three years in the Minors 2015 and is sporting a .298/.346/.508 line with 32 RBIs this season.

• Blue Jays No. 7 prospect Mitch Nay cracked his fourth homer of the year for Class A Advanced Dunedin. The third baseman went 2-for-3 with a two-run shot in the Stone Crabs' 8-3 victory over Charlotte and is hitting .222/.288/.335 with 22 RBIs.

• Blue Jays No. 17 prospect D.J. Davis turned in a career day for Class A Lansing, going 4-for-5 with a grand slam, two doubles and eight RBIs in his team's 12-4 win against Peoria. That last number marked a new career high and the eight RBIs tied the Lugnuts' single-game record. On the afternoon of the 2015 Draft, Davis reminded fans of why Toronto picked him in the first-round three years ago. "The day just kind of started off with me going in the cage, trying to get my approach down," Davis told MiLB.com after the game. "But I wasn't expecting it to be a big day or anything. Once it got going, everything was clicking on all cylinders."

• D-backs No. 16 prospect Stryker Trahan recorded a career-high six RBIs on two home runs -- including a third-inning grand slam -- in a 2-for-4 night for Class A Kane County on Monday. The catcher had never hit two homers in a Minor League game before Monday and upped his season totals to 10 dingers and 36 RBIs. Trahan's average is above .250 for the first time since April 10 and he has hit in six of the past seven contests.

• Mariners No. 10 prospect Tyler O'Neill smacked a three-run home run for Class A Advanced Bakersfield, his 12th of the season. The outfielder now has 31 RBIs this year, which complement a .438 slugging percentage.

• Mariners No. 12 prospect John Hicks also knocked a three-run homer, but his was part of Triple-A Tacoma's 7-3 win against Sacramento. The catcher picked up his first RBIs since May 22 and now has four dingers and 18 RBIs this year.

• Mets No. 8 prospect Dominic Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Class A Advanced St. Lucie's 6-4 win over Daytona. The first baseman now has five multi-hit games in the past eight contests and sports a .270/.314/.414 line with two dingers and 30 RBIs this season.

• Nationals No. 10 prospect Pedro Severino connected for his third homer of the year and has hit in five straight games for Double-A Harrisburg. The catcher went 3-for-4 with two RBIs on Monday, bringing his season line to .257/.307/.357 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.

• Rangers No. 6 prospeect Lewis Brinson accounted for Class A Advanced High Desert's only runs in a 7-2 loss to Lake Elsinore. Brinson's two-run homer was just his third of the year for the Mavericks -- he missed all of May with a tendon issue in his right hamstring. He's hitting .253/.340/.398 with seven RBIs in 20 games.

• Rays No. 26 prospect Jaime Schultz brought the heat for Double-A Montgomery, striking out nine in seven shutout innings. The 5-foot-10 righty only gave up three hits and three walks on the night, but couldn't pick up the 'W.' He has not won since May 2, but still has a winning record (4-3) and a 3.06 ERA.

• White Sox No. 17 prospect Trayce Thompson went deep -- twice -- for Triple-A Charlotte. The center fielder only had four home runs this year before hitting two solo shots in Monday's 7-2 win against Pawtucket. Thompson now stands at .270/.313/.447 with six homers and 23 RBIs.